There is presently a great need to locate leaks of so-called “greenhouse” gases such as sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). As is generally known, higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cause infrared (IR) radiation released from the earth to become trapped in the lower atmosphere. As a result of this trapped radiation, the lower atmosphere tends to warm, which in turn impacts the Earth's weather and climate. Other common greenhouse gasses generally caused by human activity include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), and ozone (O3).
In general, absorption techniques can be used to detect many such gases. However, there are a number of limitations associated with such conventional techniques. For instance, absorption techniques in the thermal IR range are not effective if the background temperature is similar to the temperature of the target gas to be detected, because there is almost no contrast between the background and the target gas. In addition, image contrast can be weak, caused by other factors, such as inhomogeneous illumination and weak absorption. Because of these problems, techniques to enhance the contrast have been proposed.
These conventional techniques generally increase the image contrast utilizing a laser illuminator. One such technique is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,627, titled “Backscatter Absorption Gas Imaging System,” which describes absorption techniques to image hazardous gases. In particular, the disclosed technique uses a flying spot IR laser beam and video imaging system, and detects hazardous gases which are highly absorbed by the laser beam. Cameras based on similar techniques have been developed to detect SF6 (e.g. GasVue and GasVue II camera product lines). However, these cameras are large and bulky (typically shoulder mounted units that are coupled to power and cooling units via heavy cabling), and therefore are application limited. For instance, such techniques cannot be implemented inside confined spaces or otherwise close quarters, such as within the fuselage of an airplane or other vehicle that may be equipped with gas-containing gear (e.g., radar equipment).
There is a need, therefore, for gas leak detection techniques that can be deployed, for example, in compact, handheld devices usable for detecting leaks in space-confined applications.